Blake Psychology is attending ACBS World Conference 16 in Montréal

The Association for Contextual Behavioural Science (ACBS) is hosting its annual World Conference in Montreal this year, from July 24-29, 2018.

Clinicians and researchers from around the world will meet to present cutting-edge research findings in a series of workshops, lectures, and panel discussions. Psychologists from Blake Psychology will be attending the World Conference to deepen their knowledge of various therapeutic modalities such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Compassion Focused Therapy, Functional Analytic Psychotherapy, and Emotionally Focused Couples and Family Therapy.

The conference is an exciting way to brush up on skills and learn new interventions, which can improve our work with clients.

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT):

According to Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), psychological suffering is caused by focusing on trying to change or control thoughts and feelings, when doing so takes you away from the people and activities that are most important to you. Psychological inflexibility (or rigidity) results from trying to avoid emotionally painful experiences, getting stuck in our thoughts, viewing ourselves in rigid ways, losing touch with our core values, and coping in ways that are counterproductive. ACT teaches acceptance of personal experiences and sensations, mindfulness, cognitive defusion (changing the relationship that we have to our thoughts), values, and purposeful committed actions that bring us closer to the kind of person that we want to be.

Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT):

Compassion Focused Therapy is an evidence-based form of Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy (CBT) that integrates aspects from the neuroscience of positive emotions with components of Buddhist psychology, such as mindfulness. Compassion Focused Therapy helps clients to develop a more compassionate mind, to alleviate emotional suffering.

Functional Analytic Psychotherapy (FAP):

Functional Analytic Psychotherapy (FAP) aims to improve mental health by focusing on the ways that we build relationships and connect with others. The therapeutic relationship is a key element to the treatment, in that the patterns that unfold during the therapy sessions are often the same patterns that client’s repeat in their outside lives. By gaining awareness of these patterns of behaviour, clients can learn new ways of interacting that better cultivate the kinds of relationships that they seek to develop in the outside world.

Emotionally Focused Couples and Family Therapy (EFT):

Emotionally Focused Therapy emphasizes the importance of transforming human relationships and building connections that allow people to feel emotionally safe be be their true selves. Clients learn to let go of destructive patterns such as pursue-withdraw or criticize-defend, and move towards bonding in positive ways that become a safe healing environment.